My mother is starting to get upset that neither me or my younger brother have given her any grandkids yet and in her eyes the problem is backpacking. She tells me that because I am always going on b'ping trips I am losing opportunities to meet ladies and that I am not ever going to find a wife in some remote backcountry area. I think the entire thing is funny but I think she is maybe being a little serious. So, what I am asking from my fellow backpackers is for someone to tell me that they or someone they know personally has found love on the trail.

Sure. Some Chapters of the Sierra Club have an outings section called "Sierra Singles". Guess what happens on those backpacks... I know several happy couples.Wow, active in Texas, too:http://www.sierraclub.org/singles/

I did, and so did a couple of my friends that I hike with. It helps that our hiking group here is heavy on the ladies-so if a man joins, well, his chances are better than average.

So my point? You probably won't find love or lust in the backcountry out of strictly chance-but if you get into a group setting, your chances go up high.

Why? Well, for one thing, it allows the women to be relaxed around men. There isn't pressure to be guarded, they feel safer overall. You get time to actually know someone, and see how they react when tired, scared, stressed, etc. You have hours and hours to walk and talk.

I met my husband on a trip in the Olympic Mountains. We hiked together quite a few times in the month or so before we started dating. I didn't even see him as a guy I wanted to date until a trip in the North Cascades in late November of 2002. It was an alpine meadow, a waterfall and something clicked. That day we had hiked 12 miles together and something changed when he leaned over and helped me up the trail, covered in ice and mud. I liked the guy and I wanted to get to know him even more I knew at that point.

Oh well, I still haven't given his mom any grandkids besides a step grandson ;-) So don't listen to my advice :-D

To let you in on a little secret as to why parents want grandchildren: "Grandchildren are our best revenge!"

I know whereof I speak. My wife successfully put the "mother's curse" ("I hope you get one just like you") on our daughter, and my proudest moment was when just-like-you's older sister was told she couldn't have a certain toy at the store. She turned around, put her hands on her hips, and stated, "My grandpa would buy it for me!"

I have been trying for the past few year to convince my brother to take the bait, but he is in a band and he is the lead singer and lead guitarist and so he is the rock star who will never get married. That is why the pressure falls back on me.

I didn't necessarily find love on the trail but I have found a girl that doesn't mind me hiking. She tells me that she wants me to go hiking whenever I seek permission. Its probably because I'm a lot easier to get along with if I've been on the trail recently. I've found that the longer I go without hiking the more irritable I become and I'm sure she's noticed it too.My point is that you can find someone to be happy with, even if they aren't into backpacking. Although I'm bound and determined to get her to come out at least once...

A few weeks ago I went on a trip to Big Bend with a female friend. While on the trail we slept in seperate shelters and there was never any mention of an attraction to each other. Well, when we got back I let her know that I would have enjoyed "spending more time" with her there and she agreed to my excitement. Well, we kinda started hanging out and dating back home and it sucked! She was so uptight back home and a totally different person on the trail.

What - you lost a perfectly good opportunity to save weight and change this girls life. One shelter, no condoms to pack - maybe a little extra alcohol - but hey. Besides - you live if the DFW area - everyone is uptight when they get back here man.

Then maybe your Momma would be happy at her engaged - father to be son - with Grandkid on the way. Step up to the plate. - Add one for the Family Line. Besides you will never hear the end of it from your Momma until you do.

Mary and I were happily married without kids. Then in a four year period of time - we had three. Things can move pretty fast.

Just date a teacher. They are usually liberal enough to let you hike when you want and they don't get into your gear. Plus they have the summers off. Date the grade school teachers and pre-school teachers. They are my favorite. Besides they swell the internet date sites at this time of year.

As for trail romance success stories - I met my husband doing trail work on the Iron Goat Trail near Stevens Pass in Washington. We were both crew leaders and happened to be working the same day. I talked him into joining the Mountaineers to take snowshoeing so he'd stop skiing in jeans and learn what an ice axe is. Then he took the scramble course... Then we started going on hikes and scrambles... Then we got married at Lake Valhalla. There was so much snow we could only get the minimum 3 people to snowshoe there - the guy who married us, and his wife and a climbing buddy as witnesses. My ice axe was my bouquet.